Hands
by Nejiiro Neko
Summary: Kmeme Fill. Carver becomes a Grey Warden and doesn't quite fit in until another Warden shows an interest after a bad nightmare. A short story about how Carver and Nathaniel Howe get to know each other and become more then just a recruit and his commander


So I posted this awhile ago on Kmeme but just decided to throw it up here to see how it goes. This is my first time writing Carver or Nathaniel and first time in these kinds of settings. So sorry is either of them seem OOC, especially Nathaniel, he is actually kinda hard to write :P. It's also been a many months since I've played awakenings so there might be some inaccuracies, (I think it was 3 Wardens he took down with him?) Anyways, this is part one, I expect 3 parts total. As always reviews are loved and appreciated! :D

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><p>He had been a Grey Warden for less then a month and they were already bringing him into the Deep Roads with only four other Wardens. Apparently it was essential for new recruits to get used to darkspawn as early as possible, but Carver thought it was a load of crap. Here he was standing in his newly commissioned armor glowering at the fire, unable to relax in the same tunnels he almost died in only weeks ago; while three of the four Wardens sat around the blaze to tell jokes and laugh at something he was too tense to comprehend.<p>

He hadn't fit in with his new companions as well as he had hoped. They treated him like the little kid of the group and liked to pick on him so he found himself in situations where he was constantly trying to prove himself, _again_. It seemed he was an easy target wherever he went. There were only a few Wardens, who were similar to those friends he made in Kirkwall, that he got along with so far

First was Sigrun, whose easily excitable personality and fascination with the odd things reminded him of Merrill. After he met the bubbly dwarf he met a Dalish mage who could care less if he was new or inexperienced. She just didn't like humans in general. Her attitude reminded him greatly of Fenris who spoke little and didn't like mages. Oghren was what he always imagined dwarf's to be like before he met Varric and was glad to see at least some of the stories about the race were true.

Then there was Nathaniel Howe, the second in command of vigil's keep, and the man leading this little adventure. He was unlike anyone Carver had ever met before.

Unfortunately since Carver was still new to the order, he didn't get to see any of these higher-ranking officers often. He was stuck with these joking Wardens that liked to tease him endlessly.

"Hey, newbie. Why you gotta stand over there so tense. Relax, if you come closer I'm sure the fire wont bite." One of them shouted and laughed with his colleagues.

"Yeah, fire isn't that scary, you can come closer to it." If this was their juvenile way to get him to join them for more mockery, he would not fall for it.

"I am not scarred of the fire."

"Well there obviously aren't any darkspawn around, we would feel them, but your still stiff as a board so it must be the fire your terrified of." The third man added and they all shared a laugh again. He held out a cask with some type of alcohol to Carver, beckoning him over, "Come on. Try some of this it will make a man out of you."

The younger Warden would have typically argued with the three laughing men and trying to defend his pride but they were partially right. It obviously wasn't the fire that freaked him out, it was the phantom feeling of the taint slowly spreading through his veins and his body as it slowly ceased to function and die while he was still in it. Being down here trapped his mind in a never-ending cycle that had made it hard to even move at times. Top that with his lack of sleep lately and he simply lacked to energy to fight back.

"Wardens" Carver and the others instantly looked up to the commanding voice of their leader as he stalked out of the shadows and back into view. The warrior would never understand how rogues could disappear and reappear seemingly through walls. "It is late and I sense no darkspawn anywhere near the area so we will take advantage of it and set up camp. No more drinks you three."

They grumbled at the last part but didn't question him and started packing up. Carver both respected and resented that about the Nathaniel Howe. People were so ready to follow his orders without so much as a comment; it reminded him of his brother. At least the archer earned his position, unlike Garrett who just assumed the role of leader of their little group.

"Carver, are you hungry?" He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't even notice Nathaniel approach him.

"No."

Nathaniel gave him a skeptical look and at that exact moment his stomach betrayed him and grumbled at the mention of food. Carver blushed and turned his head away but kept his ground.

The archer chuckled and when Carver flinched he looked at him in an understanding manner, "It's okay you know, everyone has an increase in appetite for the first month or so. It takes some recruits a year to get back to eating smaller portions." When carver groaned he added, "It's usually worse when you are under stress."

"You don't have to coddle me." Carver spat out before he could think better of it. But to his surprised Nathaniel didn't reprimand him for the outburst just passed him a piece of bread.

"I know. But I am in charge of the Wardens under me."

The remark pissed him off but this time Carver kept his mouth shut and rejected the offer of food. "If you will allow it, I will take first watch then." He offered and started off towards an outpost they marked before.

"Denied."

"What? Why? You let me take it every other time."

"That is why. You need to sleep too Carver." There seemed to be general concern under the authoritative voice but Carver didn't pay attention to that. Truth be told he only volunteered to take the night watch because he would not be able to sleep anyways. His dreams had become something to dread after becoming a Warden but in the Deep Roads it was much worse. He got maybe an hour of sleep the first night before waking up in a cold sweat and on the brink of a panic attack. Since then three nights have passed and he hadn't so much as closed his eyes. He wondered if Nathaniel was aware of this or not.

"I'm fine."

It was probably obvious he wasn't but he was tired of being the weakling, the one without magical talent, the one everyone had to look out for. When he got a second chance in life as a Warden he took it as his chance to finally stand out and succeed. He would not jeopardize that by illustrating his ridiculous fear of sleep.

Nathaniel sighed and waved the warrior off; returning to his own tent, "Do as you will then."

That night Carver stood watch in the silent darkness like every night before, waiting for any signs of enemies coming near. He was still unused to the scratching sensation in his mind when darkspawn were near but he was gradually getting used to it. Some of the senior Wardens talked about being able to distinguish the different types of darkspawn by the minor changes in the sound but he was far from learning that skill, and not sure he wanted to. The idea of the taint slowly turning you into one of these vile creatures was enough to make any man cringe. It was unsettling how much you learn _after_ becoming a Warden, but this was his future now and there was no turning back.

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><p>Carver could hear armored footsteps and the scratching sense in his mind was so strong it was painful. He frantically searched the area around him but everything was pitch black, and when he tried to move it felt like gravity was against him. Fear struck his heart when he heard the Darkspawn call and the answering voices completely surrounding him. When only there faces appeared form the blackness he tried to yell for help, curse them, say anything but his voice was lost. The faces were almost laughing at his struggle.<p>

When the first weapon made contact with his armor he swung his sword in an arch despite the pressure bearing down on his body. The Hurlock backed off grinning and disappearing into the shadows again. There was a screeching cry, he had come to associate with shriek, but he couldn't move fast enough to turn around. It's jaws locked onto his right shoulder, and part of his neck. He screamed as its teeth sank deep into his flesh and cracked his collarbone. The pain was excruciating and blood ran freely down his chest. When it let go to start shredding with it's claws, Carver kicked it away and ran into the darkness unconcerned about the other creatures around him. He lifted his left arm to cover the new wound but he had no medical supplies and there were so many puncture wounds, pressure would make little difference in stopping the bleeding.

The weight of this atmosphere forced him to stop and finally dropped him down onto his knees. His breath was heavy, his heart was pounding, and he could feel something burning through his body. The darkspawn did not follow him and his senses told him they were not near anymore. They should have been right behind him, how had they disappeared so quickly? Before he could continue that questioning the burning in his veins increased and he grunted in pain. He pulled his bloodied hand away from the wound and dropped his sword so he could look at them.

What he saw there was not his hands; these were thinner, colder, darker. His whole body was shaking in absolute terror, and when his eyes trailed up his arm he saw black stained skin, a clear marking of the taint. He screamed.

"No! I am a Grey Warden! I'm immune to the taint!" He yelled to himself over and over again. Praying, begging it to just stop.

Light finally entered the room, or maybe his eyes just adjusted but he could see again. He saw the decrepit walls of the Deep Roads and large Ogre who was standing in front of the terrified warrior. Carver looked up and met eyes with it and suddenly remembered how one of its same kind crushed his twin sister before his eyes. He would consider that a mercy right now compared to what happened next.

_You must follow the song._ That voice infiltrated his mind and he felt the grumbling tones throughout his whole body. He realized then, the Ogre had not truly spoken to him the way humans do, it was a message from a shared mind. It was too late he was one of them. He didn't care anymore who saw his weakness, tears fell freely from his eyes and he sobbed in anguish.

"Carver."

The song, he could hear it now too. It was peaceful and comforting when he felt so broken.

"Carver!"

The face of the Archdemon showed itself in his minds eye. It was a dragon, a beautiful dragon and it was singing for him to follow. He should just give in and follow the song…

"Damnit Carver! Wake up!"

Everything changed instantly: the song stopped, the faces disappeared, and the pain in his shoulder and blood vanished. The fear stayed. When his eyes finally opened he saw the blurry face of another man and jumped back, trying to get away on pure instinct.

"Wait. It's me, Nathaniel." The voice sounded genuine but he still couldn't see his face clearly. He brought his hand up to his cheek to figure out what had happened to his vision and pulled it away wet. He was crying. It suddenly made sense, everything he had just experienced wasn't real; he had fallen asleep without knowing it and suffered a nightmare. Now he was awake again, still trembling and crying in front of his commanding officer.

In his vulnerable state, every emotion was on display, even the shame and embarrassment he felt right now. Nathaniel must have seen it, "Carver it's okay. The nightmares are part of being a Grey Warden and being in the Deep Roads just amplifies it." He tried to put a comforting hand on the younger Warden's shoulder but unfortunately he put it on the one that had been injured in the dream, and it caused Carver to whine and draw back as if in pain.

The archer pulled his hand back and when he saw even more shame in those blue eyes he cursed himself for his lack of skill in comforting someone. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

Carver was still trying to push away the feelings left from the dream, and barely even heard Nathaniel. He stared at his hands, which were back to their normal color, to try to ground himself in the conscious world. He had stopped crying but the fear still made it hard to think straight. He knew he was embarrassing himself in front of the other man and that just made it even more frustrated that he couldn't shake the nightmares effects off. "I…" Even his voice was weak.

When the warrior made no attempt to speak again Nathaniel sighed and sat down next to him, "If it makes you feel better, I'm the only one who heard you. The others were asleep when I left the camp, to wake you."

"How?"

"How what?" When he got no clarification he guessed, "You screamed, and I was awake at the time. It wasn't too loud or the others would have woken, but it sounded like you were in a lot of pain."

Carver nodded but it was apparent he was getting frustrated with the whole situation. He had never felt so weak and powerless in his life, and his hands wouldn't stop shaking no matter how much he willed them to. "Damnit! Stop!"

Nathaniel was surprised at the sudden outburst, and couldn't figure out what caused it until he saw where Carver's angry glare at his own trembling hands. Without really thinking about it he grabbed those hands with his and physically stopped them from shaking. Carver's eyes got big and he turned to the rogue in question. "It's okay to be scared. Grey Warden nightmares have commonly broke even the most hardened warriors."

Carver scoffed, "Yeah I bet you never woke up crying and shaking like an idiot in fear."

Nathaniel had been taught never to show or admit weakness but he was already trying his hand at comforting someone. He had been making effort to not be like his father since the Commander exposed him for the traitor he was, but if he was honest with himself, if it were anyone else screaming in the night he probably would have just ignored them, like his father taught him. Carver was different though. He reminded him of himself in many ways and he felt he wanted to protect the younger Warden. "I have actually."

The sincere answer caught Carver off guard. "You?"

Nathaniel chuckled and let go of the other Wardens hands. "Believe it or not every Warden you see has had at least one devastating nightmare. Even Anders had his fair share while he was here."

He sighed, "I still feel like an idiot right now."

"You push too hard to prove yourself worthy. Why?"

Carver shook his head, "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Carver debated just ignoring him and finding a hole to hide in somewhere while he calmed down, but that piercing look was hard to turn away from, "Do you have any siblings? Any magic in your family"

"I had a younger brother and I have a younger sister. No magic."

"See you wouldn't get it. You're the older brother, the best position to be in the family. The natural born leader that gets to order around everyone."

Nathaniel smirked, he recognized an inferiority complex anywhere, he suffered the same at one point in his life, "I may be the oldest brother but I had a famous father with a noble background who I had to compete with and later restore the family name. I think I get it more then you would think." Carver just gave him an unbelieving look, "Why did you ask about magic?"

"My father, brother, and twin sister were all mages. I was the only blade in a house full of magic." Years of hiding told him not to admit this so freely but he didn't care right now.

"Do you miss them?"

Carver wasn't prepared for a question like that. He looked to Nathaniel who was patiently waiting for an answer, "Why are you asking me that? Actually why are even talking to me? I'm a new recruit and your second in command; I was led to believe seniority goes along way in the Grey Wardens."

Nathaniel sighed and pointed to the warrior's hands that had ceased to shake and only slightly quivered. "I am talking to you to help take your mind off your dream. It seems to be working." Carver nodded and watched his hands again. "As far as being your superior in rank, it means nothing to me. I have not been a Warden long myself, only a couple years. I was just lucky enough to be around when the real Commander started recruiting again. Besides I was third to be conscripted so by all rights it should have been either Anders or Oghren in my position, but as you know the mage left and Oghren denied the position. The others here like to pick on new recruits for fun but give it time and you will be respected as an equal here."

"You really think that?" He knew he probably sounded desperate for acceptance but he blamed the lapse in better judgment on the dream.

"Yes." He answered simply.

Carver smiled and looked back to the archer, "Do you comfort every new Warden's insecurities?"

"No. You're the first, I've even tried to." It had to be the bad lighting but it almost looked like there was a faint pink dusting the rogue's cheeks. "Figured I would try my hand at it I guess."

Carver laughed, "Well you did a bloody good job." He sighed and leaned back against the wall, "To answer your question, I do miss my sister. She was killed before we even made it to Kirkwall, and I foolishly blamed my brother on the whole incident. I didn't even get to fix that before coming here, he probably still thinks I blame him." His featured looked regretful, "She was my twin and when she died I felt a small piece of me die too. If that makes sense."

"It does." Nathaniel nodded for him to continue.

"Maker I haven't had someone actually listen to me, let alone take me seriously, in what seems like ages. Even if it is just about my personal life." Carver had a small smile on his face but he seemed to be thinking of something else, maybe reliving a memory; Nathaniel could only guess. It surprised him how much he wanted the warrior to continue his story, normally he could care less where people came from but this man was different for some reason. "I didn't know my father very well. He died when Beth and I were still young but even if he hadn't I doubt I would have got to know him well. He spent most of his time training the mages in the family and left me with mother, who taught me how to protect my siblings from Templar threats. Sometimes I miss him but right now? No. I do like to think he would approve of me being a Grey Warden though."

"And you brother?"

He scoffed, "My brother is completely different story. But how about you tell me something about you. I can't be the only one sharing secrets here."

"What do you want to know?" the rogue looked amused.

"You mentioned some kind of family problems earlier."

"Do you not know the story of the Howe's?"

"I may be from Ferelden, but I was raised in a family full of apostates. The latest gossip was not important, well unless it involved mages of course."

"Fair enough. The Howe's have been war heroes for many generations and my father tried to carry out that legacy by siding with Loghain. When word of his betrayal and death came to the Free Marches, where I was sent to train, I couldn't believe it. I thought my family was being punished for simply choosing the wrong side. It even made me come up with this elaborate plan to kill the Commander of the Grey, which obviously backfired. Instead I ended up being conscripted and having it proven to me that my father was not a victim and actually was as twisted as they said. I looked up to him my whole life so it was a shock to say the least. Since then I have tried to restore the Howe name and bring honor back to my family." Admitting this used to be hard for him but he had come to terms with it now, "Does that satisfy your curiosity."

"You tried to kill the Hero of Ferelden? I can imagine how bad that went."

"Hey, I infiltrated the Keep without being seen and took down 3 Grey Wardens on my way out. I am not without skill." He said with no small amount of pride and Carver chuckled softly and looked up to meet his eyes. They stared at each other for a time in comfortable silence just enjoying each other's company. Even if they hadn't known each other long Carver now felt closer to this man then any other Grey Warden at the Keep. "You seem to be in a much better mood now."

"I guess I am."

"Does that mean I don't get the story behind your brother?"

"He is a pain in the ass who thinks he is better just because he is older and has magic." Carver said stubbornly. "Everyone worships him. I know he is a powerful mage and all but most of the time he just gets lucky, he doesn't even deny that. I guess you could say his and my path weren't meant to be together. It's better I'm here. Besides I was getting tired of everyone swooning over him."

"Sounds like you were jealous." Nathaniel smirked when the warrior glared at him.

"I was not jealous! I was just tired of everyone we met making puppy eyes at him. Even the men!"

"Does that kind of relationship bother you?"

"What? Well no but…" Carver blushed, "That's not what I meant!"

"Cute." Nathaniel commented laughing again, which made Carver blush even more and quickly look away.

"Don't jump to conclusions, I like girls, and just because it doesn't bother me doesn't mean I am... you know."

Nathaniel couldn't believe how easy it was to embarrass the younger Warden. He may try to pass off as a hardened warrior that never showed weakness but he was so easy to read and clearly driven by his emotions. Nathaniel had been observing the warrior since they came here. The man had been practically paralyzed since the moment they went underground, but still did everything he could to prove himself despite his fear. The archer had expected him to break in the first couple hours but he had lasted three days down here and even now he wasn't begging to go back to the surface. It was admirable. "Well are you?"

"I don't know! Why are you asking these question?"

Nathaniel laughed again, he couldn't remember the last time he laughed this much. "Curiosity is all."

"Well how about you then?" Carver shouted trying to change the subject away from him and still refused to make eye contact.

"Gender doesn't mean anything to me."

Carver groaned, "How can you admit that so freely?"

"Because it's not a big deal anymore. You will understand once you're older." Nathaniel patted Carver's head like a small child and chuckled at the 'I can't believe you just did that' look on his face.

"Hey I'm not a little kid! You cant be that much older then me."

"Oh really? What are you, seventeen?"

"I'm nineteen!"

"I still have seven years on you then."

"That's not that many." Carver mumbled still glaring at the archer for treating him like a kid. Nathaniel chuckled and eventually Carver gave up his pout and started laughed quietly with him.

There were sounds that sounded like voices coming from the camp that caught both men's attention. Caver was the first to speak, "Either they are up early or we have been talking for longer then I thought."

Nathaniel smirked, "I would guess the latter, those guys are too lazy to wake up early." He got up to stretch before turning back to the new recruit, offering him a hand up, "It was nice talking to you Carver Hawke."

The warrior smiled and took the hand, lifting himself to stand as well, "You too, Nathaniel Howe."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss the top of Carver's hand, "Just call me Nate."

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><p>The next night, well as close to night as it gets in the Deep Roads, Carver volunteered for the watch again. After his nightmare he didn't dare try to sleep. He idly wondered if Nathaniel would come again like he had the night before to talk to him. If he was honest with himself he was hoping for it.<p>

When the first couple hours past without any sign of the archer, he sighed and leaned back against a wall, willing his eyes to stay open. Back in Kirkwall he was used to sleeping in late, since his brother often did after a night of drinking at the Hanged Man, but since Joining the Wardens he was constantly tired, and hungry. Speaking of which, his stomach was growling again but he felt like he had already been eating the majority of their food supplies so he didn't have it in him to eat any more. Even if it did feel like he was starving.

From the corner of his eye he saw something flying towards him and on instinct he raised his arm to catch whatever it was before hitting his head. He was surprised to see an apple in his palm when he lowered his arm.

"Good to know your reflexes are still exceptional even if you are asleep on your feet." The voice was instantly recognizable and Carver smirked before taking a bite out of the apple so graciously thrown at him. "We do pack extra food when we have a recruit with us you know. No need to conserve your appetite."

"If I were to eat every time I was hungry, we would be out of food by now." He took another big bite out the fruit. He was more starved then he thought he was

"You say that like we haven't all been there." The rogue appeared out from the shadows beside Carver, "Not sleeping isn't helping your hunger you know. Your body needs some kind of energy."

Carver sighed and threw the already finished apple core on the floor, "Well what about you. This is two nights in a row you haven't slept either."

"I am a rogue. I specialize in waiting for the right moment to appear, which means sleep in an affordable sacrifice."

"Were you watching me that whole time then?" Carver tried to remember anything embarrassing he might have done in the past couple hours. He was suddenly grateful he isn't the type to voice his thought when he was by himself.

Nathaniel chuckled at the anxious expression on his face. "Don't worry. I was looking at the maps to find the fastest way out of here." His smile faded in favor of a more frustrated look, "I want to get back to the surface; this expedition seems to have been a waste of time."

"Oh." The warrior looked dejected.

"Research and training wise at least." He quickly corrected, "Without many darkspawn to confront you haven't got the full Grey Warden experience yet. But this trip has inspired more… unexpected benefits."

"Unexpected benefits?" Carver questioned.

"Yes." Nathaniel didn't elaborate but the look in his eyes told the younger Warden it had something to do with him. "Anyways you should really try to get some sleep. I came out half expecting to find you asleep on your watch again."

Carver rolled his eyes, not wanting to talk about this again, "I thought you already said sleep wasn't that important for you, so it shouldn't be that different for me either."

"I said I'm used to sacrificing sleep because I'm a rogue, I didn't say anything about importance." He corrected. "You on the other hand are a fully capable warrior, who does need to eat and sleep regularly. I've been around enough of your type to know that."

Carver snorted, "I can't tell if that's a compliment or an insult."

"Neither. Just a fact." Nathaniel moved closer so they were standing side by side, "You're avoiding the point again."

"What's that?"

"You need to sleep."

The warrior's shoulders fell and he looked away, all hints of good humor suddenly gone, "I really don't think I can." The other Warden stayed silent so he continued on his own. "That dream last night… It didn't feel like it was some generic Grey Warden nightmare, it felt like it was personalized for me. It played off my biggest fears; being unable to see or move, and the taint." His body shivered at the memory and he found himself looking at his hands again. "I almost died from it. I actually felt it coursing through my blood and rotting me from the inside. Then to experience it all again in a nightmare?… You can't just shake that hopeless feeling off. "

Nathaniel wasn't sure how to reply to that. He couldn't relate to dealing with the taint aside from being a Grey Warden. He hadn't even seen a darkspawn before coming back to Ferelden. Luckily for him Carver started speaking again before he had to try to think of something to fill the silence.

"Besides, I've embarrassed myself in front of you enough."

"Quit worrying about that would you." He sighed, "I'm not your brother; you don't have to impress me."

"Thank the Maker for that. If you were my brother we would be trading fists right now."

"Why is that?"

"He likes to joke whenever I try to be serious around him. If he heard about my nightmare he would tease me endlessly." Carver abruptly fell into a sitting position on the floor and leaned against an old broken pillar. Nathaniel would have been concerned but the younger simply leaned his head back and rubbed his neck sighing. He was obviously to the point of exhaustion.

"A little teasing is always good. I'm told it builds character."

"Yeah? Is this where I'm supposed to believe you're teased too?"

Nathaniel smirked and sat on the pillar right above Carver. The warrior would have to strain his neck to see him eye to eye from here. "Not anymore but when I first started training in the Free Marches, I got teased plenty."

That brought a smile to the other man's face. The archer decided he liked this expression, "I can't imagine what about."

"My 'cowards way' of fighting, as they called it. Archery wasn't a well accepted fighting style among a group of soldiers." He thought about it and added, "Also, my nose."

Carver snorted and moved his head as far back as he could to see the other man's face properly, "I really like your nose." As soon as he realized what he said a dark blush covered his whole face and he looked away, "I mean, there is nothing wrong with it, I don't see why it would be made fun off…."

The senior Warden laughed and rubbed his nose self-consciously. While Carver was still deliberately looking in the opposite direction he took time to admire the raw strength of the warrior. For someone his age, Carver was in exceptionally shape; probably built up after years of trying to prove himself better then a mage. Either way the armor did little to hide the broad shoulders, or the arms that were definitely bigger then his own. The back of his neck was still red, and Nathaniel found himself wondering just how far that blush went. He shook his head surprised at how easily this man could distract him. "Carver."

"Nate." Carver replied hesitantly, hoping it was still okay to call him that.

Nathaniel just smiled at the name, "I have an offer for you."

"What kind of offer?"

"You try to go to sleep, and I will stay awake to watch for any signs of distress. Then if you look like your entering a nightmare, I wake you up."

Carver turned his head back and gave the archer a skeptical look. "You're going to watch me sleep?"

"You don't have to make it sound like that."

"What if you fall asleep?"

Nate raised his brow, "I told you I'm a rogue, I specialize in staying awake. You can trust me when I say I won't fall asleep."

The younger Warden looked like he was thinking it over at least. Then again what options did he have? Everyone needs sleep eventually and now he had something that might work to keep the nightmares at bay, "Promise me."

He paused, about to ask what to promise before getting the picture, "I promise I will wake you before you have another nightmare."

That seemed to satisfy the warrior enough to relax a bit. But then he started looking at his surroundings, "Should I really just fall asleep out here?"

"We could always go back to the camp but I get the impression you don't want the other to know about this."

"I don't." He sighed.

The next couple minutes were completely silent and spent with one man watching the other toss and turn to find some resemblance of a comfortable position. Trying to ignore that feeling of being watched, was probably affecting that somewhat too. It's surprising what a nice pillow could change, even when completely drained. "Why does everything here have to be so hard?"

Nathaniel chuckled at the outburst and tried to cover his mouth to hide it.

"Glad you think it's so funny." Carver pouted, which just amused the archer more.

"Lean against me if you need to."

The offer was left open but surprisingly Carver didn't flush this time he just looked up at his commander and took advantage of it. He laid his head on the outer part of Nathaniel's thy near his knee and loosely wrapped his arm around his shin to rest on his ankle. He felt a hand set itself on his temple and move a couple strands of hair away from his face. When said hand tried to pull away Carver made a soft nose of protest which made the hand timidly come back to run through his hair.

Between the warmth of another body near his and the hand stroking his hair, the warrior quickly found himself dozing off. He just hoped Nathaniel would keep his promise.


End file.
